Wrapping or packing machine



Feb. 9,1954 D. :R. P. JACKSON WRAPPING OR PACKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Au 27. 1951 Feb. 9, 1954 D. R. P. JACKSON WRAPPING OR PACKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 27, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet z A44. again gam lwm m I Feb.

Filed Aug. 27, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 33 l {in 1954 D. R. P. JACKSON 0 WRAPPING OR PACKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 27, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 phi/Wm Z A. A. I? 9M4,

Patented Feb. 9, 1954 WRAPPING OR PACKING MACHINE Donald Richard Patric don, England, assi Company, Limited, De

a British company k Jackson, Deptford, Longnor to Molins Machine ptford, London, England,

Application August 27, 1951, Serial No. 243,876

Claims priority, application Great Britain September 5, 1950 1 Claim.

' This invention relates to wrapping or packing machines and more particularly the devices used for wrapping an article, such as a batch of cigarettes, in a wrapper which is subsequently enclosed in an outer wrapper or packet of some kind.

. As is well known cigarettes are frequently completely wrapped in tin foil or the like and the resulting bundle is enclosed in an outer paper packet or sometimes a carton or box.

The style of wrapping employed is well-known under the term blocked-ended and is performed by folding a blank about one end of the batch to form a U and thereafter folding the rest of the blank over the sides of the batch and subsequently over the other end of the batch.

This subsequent folding over the ends is a second operation with which the present invention is .not concerned and the wrapping operations referred to below result in the formation of a blockended wrapping open at one end.

For simplicity and cheapness of construction it is usual to provide fixed folding devices for wrapping a batch in this manner, the batch being moved to carry it and the wrapper blank through these devices to form a block-ended wrapping open at one end. These devices comprise a pair of narrow side tuckers which engage the wrapping material which extends laterally 'of the leading end of the batch' after the blank has been formed into a U by moving it with the batch between atop plate and a bottom plate;

usually the surface of the machine bed. The movement of the batch causes the narrow side tuckers to fold said lateral extensions on to the sides of the batch and form the inner tucks of the side wrapping. Thereafter the parts of the blank extending laterally and in the planes of the top and bottom faces of the batch and at each side thereof are folded down by spiral or like folders in whichever order may be desired to form the long side folds. This style of wrapping is satisfactory in every respect but one. If a consumer pulls out a corner cigarette and then attempts to replace it, the material of the neighbouring inner tuck will foul it and if the cigarette is pressed, the wrapper will be torn or crushed at that part.

If, however, one of the side folds is made first and then a narrow tuck is made and then the final side fold is made, the interior of the'wrapper is free of any obstructions. This style of wrapping is known and devices for wrapping articles in this way are known and the present invention concerns an improved device for this move over the sides of the article and fold the' parts of the strip extending laterally in the plane of that face of the article nearer to said tuckers to form one pair of long side folds said mechanically operated tuckers being positioned and shaped to start folding the leading ends of said side folds as the narrow tucks are being formed but slightly in advance thereof, whereby the side folds lie adjacent to the sides of the article and the narrow tucks lie on the outside of said side folds. Thereafter the other long side folds are made in the usual way by fixed side folders as the article continues to move.

The mechanically operated tuckers are preferably pivoted to the top plate and each may comprise a pivoted plate having an operative edge comprising a straight portion merging into a convex curve nearer to the pivot which curve forms a heel and performs the aforesaid folding of the leading ends of the said side folds.

As the sides of a batch of cigarettes are not planes the batch may be held between two thin metal strips movable with the batch so that the folding of the side folds and the forming of the narrow tucks takes place over these strips, said strips being reciprocated to move with the batch and move back to an initial position ready for the next batch.

machine for forming 1 block-ended wrappings wherein said guide is movable and operated to move away from the strip as the U is formed.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

1 on the line Figure 4 is a section of Figure 1 on the line Figure 5 is an elevation of a fragment of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrow A.

Figures 6 and 7 are diagrams of folding operations.

Referring to the drawings, the machine shown is constructed in the well-known manner where a web I of wrapping material is fed downwards from a reel (not shown) through a slot. 2 in the bed 3 of the machine and pushers 4 mounted on an endless conveyor (not shown) carry batches of cigarettes 5 along the bed surface and against the wrapping material, a strip of suitable length being cut therefrom as soon as it is properly engaged by" a batch and partly gripped between a top plate 5 and the surface of the bed, which form it into a. U. The web is guided down towards the bed by a pair of guides 1 and it in the usual manner but the guide 8, that is the one first approached by a batch is pivoted at Q and operated by a cam (not shown) through a link 9A so that as a strip is about to be folded into a U the guide is moved to the chain line'positionv and clear of the upper part of the strip and the folding into a U is unhinderedl If the upper part of the strip is restrained in any way, severe pressure may be exerted on the top leading corner of the cigarette batch and damage the cigarette ends. Above the bed is a reciprocating arm It which supports two thin metal plates H which are substantially in alignment with the sides of the batch. As a batch approaches the web the batch is engaged between the thin plates and these move along with the batch and provide fiat faces over which parts of the wrapping material are folded as explained later. The arm is fixed to a long bush it which slides on a round bar I3 fixed by brackets I4 to the bed 3. The bush is further guided by a slide 13A running in a guide t3B. A link [5- connects the bush l2 to a cam rod it which is pivoted at H and oscillated by a cam is in which: a roller is runs. The roller is also shown in its advanced position in chain lines and the corresponding position of the arm ill is similarly shown.

At a distancenearly equal to the length of the batch beyond the plane of the web I there are arranged two fixed narrow side tuckers 2| of conventional form except that they are rather longer than usual.

At'each side of the top plate 6 is a pivoted tucker 22. Each tucker consists of a fiat metal plate shaped as shown in Figure 1. The lower edge of the tucker which forms an operative or folding edge merges into another arm substantially at right angles to the first and having a lug or extension 23 by which the tucker is secured to a rod 32 pivoted in brackets 24 fixed to the top plate. The aforesaid operative edge of the first arm joins the corresponding edge of the second arm by a convex curve 25 which forms a kind of heel and is an important feature of the device.

The tuckers are operated by a cam 26 which engages a roller 21 on a lever 28 pivoted to the bed at 29. The lever is adiustably coupled to a. lever 30 which is fixed to a further lever 3| fixed to a rod 32 on which the tuckers 22 are mounted. The tuckers are so moved. that as a batch with a strip folded round, it into a U as shown in Figure 6 approaches the narrow side tuckers 2| and those parts of the strip extending beyond the plane of the leading end face of the batch are about to engage said tuckers, the pivoted tuckers 22 move down and the heels 25 press on the material extending laterally beyond the top face of the batch so as to com mence the folding of the first pair of long side folds. At almost the same instant the narrow side tucks start forming, see Figure 7, and the result is. that the completion of the downward movement of the tuckers finishes the side folds and the narrow tucks are complete an instant later and lie on the side folds. Thereafter the partly wrapped batch moves along and as the narrow side tnckers 2.1. are long, as stated: above, the folded material is pressed tightly against the metal strips embracing the batch and neat permanent tucks and folds obtained. At the end of the side tuckers are two folders 33. fixed to the bed and of conventional shape. These turn up the lower lateral extensions of the strip and, form the remaining long side folds. The narrow side tuckers 2!. are made long so that the batch of cigarettes can be moved forward an amount equal to the length of the batch before the bottom fixed folders commence to fold.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A wrapping machine for forming block-ended wrappings of the kind referred to, and open at one end, comprising top and bottom plates and a pair of narrow side tuckers, means for moving an article against a strip of wrapping material located transversely of the path of the article and between said top and bottom plates to form the wrapper into a U about the article and thereafter between said pair of narrow side. tuekers, mechanically operated tuckers, and mechanism for moving said last named tuckers over the sides of the article, before the narrow tucks are folded, to fold the parts of the strip extending laterally in the plane of that face of the article nearer to said mechanically operated tuckers to form one pair of long side folds, each. said mechanically operated tucker comprising a plate, a pivot for said plate, said plate having an operative edge comprising a straight portion merging into a convex curve nearer to the pivot of said plate, said curve forming a heel to fold the leading ends of the said side folds, said mechanically operated tuckers being pivoted on an axis located a short distance beyond (with reference to the direction of movement of the article) those ends of the narrow side tuckers which first engage the strip, so that the side folds lie adjacent to the sides of the article and the narrow tucks lie on the outside of said side folds.

DONALD RICHARD PATRICK JACKSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

